Resilient light socket and bracket extension



May 28, 1940? .1. D. LANGDON RESILIENT LIGHT SOCKET AND BRACKET EXTENSION Filed Oct. 20, 1937 INVENTOR.

Patented May 28, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFiCE RESILIENT LIGHT SOCKET AND BRACKET- EXTENSION g Claims.

This application is a continuation in part of my application No. 125,728, filed February 13, 1937,

now U. S. Patent No. 2,099,405.

My invention relates to improvements in light sockets, and the essence of my invention rests in the combination of one light socket of resilient material disposed in another light socket having an attaching extension disposed therefrom, including new and novel electrical connections, the whole being elastic enough to return to normal shape after being deformed by impact and having the following objects in view:

First. To provide an electric light socket of resilient material having flexibly disposed electrical connections therein to contact the shank of an electric light globe, said socket being capable of self retention when inserted in an aperture through materials of various thickness or into a recess of various depths.

Second. To provide an electric light socket made entirely of resilient material capable of re ceiving and retaining an electric light globe solely by the impingement'of the shank of said globe by the flexible wall of a recess surrounding the same.

Third. To provide a rubber light socket, a flexible secondary socket and bracket extension for combination with the first named socket to receive and securely retain the same for a swinging suspension, said secondary socket and extenbent to various positions to suit the contingencies of attachment.

Other and further objects will appear as the description proceeds, set forth by the specification and illustrated by the accompanying set of drawings, which are for the purpose of illustration only, as the structure may be changed within the scope of the claims.

Of the drawing,

Fig. l is a plan view of a flexible secondary socket and bracket extension.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of the entire combined socket assembly, including the various parts which said socket assembly is designed to receive.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the rubber light socket in modified form from that of Fig. 2, including a secondary extension having a single annulus forming the socket.

Fig. 1 represents the secondary socket and bracket extension having a metal attaching clip I formed with notches A-A provided to permit of easy bending or twisting in any direction necessary to meet the contingencies of use. The metal attaching clip 1 extends into and is molded integral with the flexible extended portions of secondary socket and extension 2, having an aperture B disposed centrally therethrough forming a secondary socket to receive the resilient electric light socket 3 to hold the same in position as illustrated in the cross section as of Fig. 2 wherein an annular rim J is provided forming an additional supporting recess to receive the lens holding portion of the electric light socket 3.

Fig. 3 shows a sectional view of the resilient light socket 3 having a narrow neck portion C formed next to the enlarged end for receiving a lens, there being an externally tapered portion having its largest diameter atH adapted to be impinged by the material surrounding the aperture B (and the secondary socket rim J as of Fig. 2) of the flexible extended portion of the secondary socket extension 2 or by the wall of any recess into which the socket 3 may be inserted. A recess D is extended into the socket 3 to receive the shank 4 of an electric light globe 5. An internal extension lug is provided to support a positive wire contact 1 and the insulation washer 8 against the end of shank 4 of globe 5, a ground contact being established by the negative wire N having a sharp terminus HF inserted into the material of the socket 3. The pins 9 of shank 4 are impinged by the Wall of recess D causing the said pins 9 to sink into the material comprising the wall of the recess D. The wire end being disposed diagonally around the inside of the socket recess of socket 3 acts as further means to retain the shank d of globe 5 when the shank d of globe 5 is rotated so that the pin 9 contacts the wire N.

The method of attaching and installing the light socket 3 if used independent of the secondary socket and bracket extension 2 consists of boring a hole into any material slightly smaller or approximately the same size as the neck portion C then forcing the enlarged bulbous portion H of the resilient socket 3 into the aperture thus formed. I This eliminates the need of screws or bolts, or any of the usual attaching means of other types of light sockets, the tapered form causing the retention of the bulbous portion H in a hole or recess of unusual depth due to the expansive pressure of the resilient material of which the socket 3 is formed.

It will be seen that the resilient socket 3 is capable of being compressed sufliciently by-external pressure in such a manner as to allow socket 3 to be forced into an aperture made for the purpose of receiving the socket in such a manner that the bulbous portion of the socket 3 tends to resume its normal'shape, thus holding itself in position in the secondary socket 2 as of Figs. 2 and 3.

The socket 3 for use with the secondary socket and bracket extension 2' has the bulbous portion I-I forced through the aperture B, said secondary (iii iii

socket and extension 2, being preferably made of resilient material, tends to in itself exert a retaining tension around the neck C of the resilient socket 3. It is therefore apparent that by combining the secondary socket and extension 2 and socket 3 a flexibly mounted combined primary and secondary socket unit will be provided capable of mounting and swinging an electric light from any suitable object.

The notches A as of Fig. 1 reduce the breadth of the metal clip I providing a comparatively narrow section of metal making a point of demarkation along which the metal may be readily bent or twisted to any particular angle or position to suit the contingencies of attachment.

For the complete combination of a primary and secondary resilient socket and extension and an electric light receiving socket, as of Fig. 3, the following elements are provided: A recess D has the shank 4 of an electric light globe 5 inserted therein, impinging against an electric contact washer 8 establishing the connection between positive connection P, while the negative wire N has the sharp terminus 1F embedded in the material of the socket 3. When the shank of electric light globe 5 is forced into the recess D and turned, on of the pins 9 impinges the wire N tending to bend the same to aid in retaining the shank l of globe 5 in position. The ridge R isprovided surrounding the under periphery of the enlarged portion of the socket 3 provided to carry a lens. This ridge acts to impinge against any material surrounding the recess or orifice into which the socket 3 may be pressed. When the center of the socket 3 is forced into a recess prior to inserting the globe 5 and a lens, a tension is exerted against the material surrounding the recess in such a manner as to exclude dust and moisture from around the socket 3 at the point of contact.

Having described my invention, and the new improvements accomplished thereby, I claim:

1. An electric light socket, including a recess of flexible material forming said socket, a wire extended along the inside of said socket to contact the shank of an electric light globe disposed in the recess formed by the inside of said socket, an additional electrical contact disposed in said socket to impinge the end of the shank to complete an electric circuit, said wire extended along one side of said socket having a terminus adapted to be forced into said flexible material to retain said wire to form a ground connection for the shank of said electric light globe.

2. A resilient light socket and bracket extension comprising a primary socket, a secondary socket formed with a bracket extension, both sockets molded of deformable material elastic enough to resume normal shape after being deformed, the first named socket having a lens retaining portion at one end, a narrow neck immediately next to said lens retaining portion, a bulbous portion extending from said neck, a recess extending from said lens retaining portion into said bulbous portion, openings for electrical connections communicating with said recess in said bulbous portion, the secondary socket comprising an annulus formed integral with said bracket extension, said bulbous portion of the first named socket extending through said annulus, said bracket extension having a metal attaching clip molded integral into one end of said bracket extension and lying on the same plane as said bracket extension, said clip having a narrow waist portion immediately next to said bracket extension, said narrow waist portion being adapted to be easily bent or twisted to any suitable angle for convenient attachment of said bracket extension for use.

3. A resilient light socket and bracket extension as of claim 2, the annulus being enlarged on one side and recessed into the said bracket extension to receive the back of the enlarged end formed by the lens retaining portion of the primary socket and reenforce the walls surrounding the lens to increase tension to retain said lens.

4. A light socket combination including two sockets each molded of material capable of being deformed and resilient enough to resume normal shape after being deformed and comprising a primary socket having an annular shaped back and an enlarged outer end with a rim projecting forwardly and radially inward parallel to the back to form a groove between said rim and back into which the flange of a lens is inserted, a wall extending from said back to form an enlarged bulbous portion having a waist immediately next to said back, a secondary socket and bracket extension consisting of an elongated strip having means for attachment disposed at one end, and an annulus disposed at the opposite end thereof,

the Waist of said enlarged bulbous portion of pleting connections formed by a metallic wire terminus anchored in the material of said primary socket and extending along the inner surface of the annulus of said primary socket and contacting the shank of said electric light globe,

a second terminus elastically spuported by matei rial forming a closed end for the first named socket to maintain contact between. said second terminus and the terminal end of said shank of said electric light globe, the outer circumference of the back of said enlarged outer end of the primary socket being provided with a narrow bead tensioned against the adjacent surface of the secondary socket.

5. A socket for an electric lamp comprising a body molded of a single piece of material capable of being deformed and elastic enough to resume normal shape after being deformed, said body having an enlarged end comprising a back portion and an annular rim turned radially inward and projecting forwardly of the back portion to form a groove between said rim and back portion capable of retaining the rim of a lens, said back portion being annular in shape and having a wall capable of retaining the shank of an electric lamp globe, a bulbous extension from said back portion formed with a narrow waist immediately next to the outer side of said back, a narrow bead at the outer side of said back near the periphery thereof and projecting in the same direction as the bulbous extension and adapted to snugly contact the adjacent surface surrounding an opening into which said socket may be inserted, whereby a pressure is exerted against said adjacent surrounding surface in order to exclude dust and moisture, said bulbous extension acting to retain said body in such opening.

JESSE D. LANGDON. 

